53 comments

  1. I really love seeing these old photos and stories. Thanks

  2. Beautiful building! I have never heard of this university.

    1. It combined with Birmingham College to form Birmingham Southern in Birmingham, AL. Old building became Southern Academy in 1965.

    2. Jean Woods Watson Thank you for the information!

  3. Great article. The tornado that destroyed Southern University, and became known as the Brent Tornado, occurred on May 27, 1973 https://brenttornado.wordpress.com/southern-universitysouthern-academy-greensboro/

  4. This historic web site is wonderful. The pictures of Southern Univ. are beautiful; and Birmingham-Southern College is a jewel as an off-spring. Too bad this beautiful building isn’t on the B’ham campus. Don’t know if you have in the past, but please consider featuring Athens State Univ., formerly Athens College – buildings even older than Southern Univ., dating back to pre-Civil War days.

  5. It’s now the home of Southern Academy. I had the privilege of coaching there in the 80’s

  6. My father attended the Military Academy when he was high school age. Always said it was one of the most beautiful buildings he had ever seen. Built by slaves.

  7. I use to live in Greensboro… beautiful ole southern town!

  8. I just marvel and mourn at what Greensboro, my beloved home town could have become.

  9. […] of acres of land in that locality. The settlers built up a small village named Troy near where Southern University was later […]

  10. I think I was 14 years of age at the time of the tornado. A friend of mine worked for a man who had the contract of clearing the rubble. I vaguely remember sorting through the brick and putting it in piles. I was glad when they were able to use some of them in the new building. These photos bring back memories–I could no longer remember what the building looked like until seeing these. Thanks!!

  11. I’m a bit confused about such a place as Troy in Hale county. No mention of the town of Troy in Pike county where I was born? I collect history books from the southeastern counties of Alabama and don’t find very many of them?

    1. The story you are referring that mentions Troy in Hale County is a transcription from the following book.
      HISTORY OF GREENSBORO, ALABAMA From Its Earliest Settlement by William Edward Wadsworth Yerby, Montgomery, Alabama, The Paragon Press, 1908 transcribed by Debra Hudson

      Troy in Hale County, like the town of Erie, no longer exists.

  12. […] Old Southern University, University Avenue and College Street, Greensboro, Alabama April 3, 1934 by W. N. Manning photographer (Library of Congress) […]

  13. […] Old Southern University Stage in Greensboro, Alabama ca. 1930s, photographer Alex Bush (Library of […]

  14. I lived on college street in the late 59s and early 50s.

    1. Margie would you have been related to George McCrory of the Quality Shop formerly in Greensboro?

  15. I was sitting on the stage for our Senior Baccalaureate Service that Sunday. We left the service 20 minutes before the stage fell in where we had just been sitting!

    1. We had just left too. I’m so glad I got to experience life in the “ole castle”. It was a beautiful building that housed the first Southern families. I missed those days

    2. If we could only go back!!!!

    3. That is a hoot!! I wish!! Miss ya but not that JOB!!

    4. Bonnie Burt I miss you too, girlie!

  16. It was May 27, 1973, hit Greensboro, then Brent. This was my alma mater.

    1. I do remember oh so well

  17. Patrick, this is so interesting! Thank you for posting. Such a beautiful building, so sorry I never got to see it.

  18. It was a beautiful building.

  19. This is beautiful. The architectural style has a Gothic look. Where would this be located in current day Greensboro?

    1. It was destroyed by a Tornado in 1973.

    2. Michele A. Clements yes I read that. It is such a shame, it looked beautiful.I was curious to the building was located, before the tornado destroyed
      it.

    3. Christie Watson Baker on the site of current Southern Academy

  20. I love pictures of the old College

  21. I love history like this. Greensboro is a beautiful place.

  22. What a spectacular building! It’s really Sad that they couldn’t rebuild something even remotely similar. I wonder what the story was there?! No insurance? I mean really! What happened? I hear they used some of the original bricks in the odd metal/brick structure that’s exists today. It’s hard to believe it ever looked like THAT in that location. Caitlyn Cordova good share tho. I had the book from Dr Bailey with this photo in it. Also pictures of a dirt main street with horse drawn carriages! Pretty cool and kinda sad to think they had an OPERA house and a university!

  23. Nice article about Southern University/Southern Academy, but please change the date of the tornado. It was May 27 not May 23. Thank you!

    1. Thanks for the correction.

  24. What a wonderful article. I saw it before the tornado but not inside. My family had students there as well as BSC later. Andrew , Jamey, Marietta, Helen Rosa

    1. Marietta we drove through there on the way to and from the Givhans farm. I was about 11

    2. I love that you remember seeing it! Must have made quite an impression.

Leave a Reply